Almost everyone loves chocolate, from the Meso-American peoples who cultivated it thousands of years ago to the modern day chocoholic. There’s a wide variety of choices out there, from low end chocolate flavored bars referred to as “confections” to the priciest dark chocolate truffle, which contains a real black truffle. In between, you’ll find every kind of bonbon, fudge, candy bar, and other chocolate treats. Some companies have become extremely famous for their chocolate. Here are a few.

Mars and the Hershey Company are the biggest manufacturers in the world, producing popular, inexpensive candies that are enjoyed by large numbers of people. Other important chocolate makers in this price range include Nestle, Cadbury, and Lindt.

They all make some of the most popular candies there are, but there have been recent concerns over quality decreases and the sourcing of these companies’ chocolate, as some African chocolate producers make use of child and slave labor.

Hershey is the biggest company in North America that makes chocolate. Headquartered in the town of the same name in Pennsylvania, this company makes the area smell of cocoa. The town is also home to a theme park - Hershey’s Chocolate World. The company was founded in the 1890s by Milton S. Hershey, and is most famous for Hershey’s Kisses, the Hershey Bar, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Mars is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and owned by the Mars family. That makes it one of the largest privately owned companies in the US. It’s know for the Milky Way, Mars, and Snickers bars, as well as M&Ms and Twix.

Other chocolatiers make their candy for a market willing to pay a higher price for chocolate made from better ingredients. Such chocolatiers as Godiva, Leonidas, and others produce high end chocolates for people who want a truly high quality confection.

There are other chocolate makers that produce even more expensive chocolates, made from beans sourced from single plantations, using no fillers, and using only the best fruits, nuts, and other ingredients. However, they’re often not as well known by the average person as the larger distributors.

One chocolate maker that most people think is fictional is Willy Wonka. In this fantasy movie this candy maker had a content to see who would take over as the new owner of a fantastic candy factory. They gave away gold tickets in chocolate bars and the winners came to the factory to be secretly evaluated. This movie was so popular it was remade recently with actor Johnny Depp. Although not a real chocolate factory it was popular and had a chocolate moat in the movie.

Chocolate has a big influence on many of us. While we might not think a lot about it on a daily basis, we’d be disappointed if we weren’t able to get this wonderful confection any more. Next time you have a piece of chocolate, whether it’s an inexpensive Hershey’s bar or a fine, hand-crafted truffle, think about the famous chocolate makers who are responsible for it being there.